Viotti Festival (winter season)

The Viotti Festival: Vercelli's musical excellence

The Viotti Festival stands as one of Piedmont's most significant classical music events and a key destination for music lovers across Italy. Its winter season spans the entire concert year, from November to May, gracing the stage of the Teatro Civico in Vercelli with some of the most prestigious names on the international music scene, alongside emerging young talents.

The festival was founded in 1998 by the Associazione Camerata Ducale, established in 1992 by Vercelli-born violinist Guido Rimonda and Cristina Canziani. The event is dedicated to Giovan Battista Viotti (1755-1824), the greatest Piedmontese composer and violinist of his era, who was born in Fontanetto Po, within the Vercelli province in Piedmont.

The 28th edition (2025-2026 season)

The twenty-eighth season of the Viotti Festival features twelve concerts, all hosted at the Teatro Civico on Via Monte di Pietà 15, typically on Saturday evenings at 9:00 PM. The program alternates between the Orchestra Camerata Ducale, conducted by Maestro Guido Rimonda, and solo recitals or chamber groups, blending grand classical repertoire with original programs designed to appeal to a wide audience.

Announced headliners include:

• The Quartetto Adorno with a program dedicated to Beethoven
• Pianist Anna Kravtchenko in a recital featuring Liszt and Chopin
• Pianist Alexander Gadjiev performing works by Grieg, Chopin, Ravel, and Mussorgsky
• Accordionist Richard Galliano alongside Guido Rimonda and the orchestra
• Jazz pianist Danilo Rea in a tribute to The Beatles and The Rolling Stones
• Clarinetist Alessandro Carbonare with music by Mozart and Mendelssohn
• Pianist Gloria Campaner with Hyung-Ki Joo and the Ensemble Camerata Ducale

A theater, an orchestra, an identity

The festival's home is the Teatro Civico, a true jewel of architecture and acoustics in the heart of Vercelli. The Orchestra Camerata Ducale, the festival's resident ensemble since 1998, has been a source of pride for the city for decades and has cemented the Viotti Festival's reputation as one of the most compelling musical institutions on the national and international stage.

More than just a concert season

Beyond the winter programming at the Teatro Civico, the Viotti project also includes a summer season spread across Vercelli and the Valsesia valley, reflecting a deep connection with the local area. The winter series, however, remains the heart of the festival: a highly anticipated event that, year after year, confirms Vercelli as a city of music and a guardian of Viotti's legacy.